Auctioneer

This general auction, with over 720 Lots, covered early Postal History, WW1, Occupation (Postal History, bisects, stamps, Red Cross messages, Feldpost, Internee and POW Mail), Jethou, Herm and Sark as well as modern Postal History and stamps with a wide range of postcards. Guernsey and Jersey coins were included after a long gap. The reserves were from £2 to £300 and attracted 84 bidders, with Lots from 28 vendors. It generated sales of £12,165. Many of the Lots sold for around their reserves, however, as usual several Lots generated some fierce bidding.

The highlights were:

Postal History

An entire from Jersey to St. Brieuc, France with 4d vermillion cancelled with a St. Malo 3734 lozenge sold for £120 (NS22026) and a 1989 1d pink stationary envelope from Guernsey to the Isle of Wight with a good 324 duplex went for £55. (NS220023)

An 1886 Avis de Reception form relating to a letter from Guernsey to Rio de Janeiro with a fine M.O.O. datestamp sold for £85. (NS22043)

An 1896 Guernsey green parcel label used for prepaid Customs Duty with ½d, 6d & 5/- stamps cancelled with a san-serif parcel cancel sold for £300. (NS22053)

Paquebot and Boite Mobile material sold well at modest prices. One 1922 postcard sent to Jersey with ½d & 1d KGV stamps was posted on board ship to Cherbourg and the stamps received the rare Cherbourg cancel. This sold for £100 (NS22121)

WW1 material sold well. One was a RP Postcard from a PoW at Blanches Banques, Jersey to Franfurt-Main which went for £110 (NS21107)

Occupation

As usual the wide range of Occupation material was very popular. Two unusual bisects on postcards, a Centenary 2d and a 2½d, had, in fact, very realistic but forged Guernsey postmarks and each had an RPSL certificate confirming this. They sold for £26 each! (NS22160 & NS22161).

A Jersey 1d Arms strip of 3 which was imperforated between the first horizontal pair sold for £140 (NS22201)

Two Cortot proofs for the Jersey ½d and 1d Views sold for £100 each. (NS22228 & NS22229 both reduced in size by 50% shown below).

A very scarce copy of the 16 page booklet “Guernsey – The Story of Guernsey Postage Stamps 1940-1941” produced by Mr. F Martin, complete with stamps and bisect covers sold for £130. (NS22694)

Feldpost

A 1941 cover from Alderney to Germany from the Infantry Regiment 348 Division 216 with a fine unit cachet fetched £120 (NS22253).

A civilian Feldpost cover from France to Jersey in 1944 sold for £70. (NS22260)

Red Cross

In the Red Cross section was a range of message forms, Bradshaw cards and Red Cross envelopes which sold for modest prices. A form with the “Von der Bailiff” handstamp sold for £150 (NS22293 and a very scarce special window envelope with a letter enclosed entitled “BAILIFF’S ENQUIRY AND NEWS OFFICE” sold for £250 (NS22303)

Fortress Period

A postcard addressed to Guernsey from Laufen internment camp, dated 20/11/44 carried by the S.S. Vega to the island went for £170 (NS22269).

Post 1945 Postal History and Stamps

A Jersey 1981 12p booklet pane of six had the variety showing a Ghost Impression sold for £240 (NS22416).

Again there was a range of Aviation postal history and ephemera, all selling at around their reserves.

There was a good range of Guernsey and Jersey Revenues which attracted a lot of bids, with virtually all of them being sold. A couple of highlights were a set of Guernsey1970/3 Insurance stamps which had a reserve of £6 and sold for £65! (NS22430) see next page and a set of Jersey 1900 revenue proofs in unissued colours went for £120 (NS22439).

A lovely set of four proofs of the Jersey 1969 Inauguration of the Post Office stamps on individual Harrison cards sold for £80. (NS22407)

The Smaller Islands

A good range of material from Herm, Jethou and Sark featured. Again virtually all was sold at modest prices.

Postcards

Another wide range of postcards from all the Islands including LLs, Allix’s and Bramley cards were featured.

The Channel Islands LL card 209 which was incorrectly titled ‘Shannel Islands – A farm yard’ attracted several bidders and was sold for £38 (NS22617). A sepia Jersey LL card 627 of the Hotel Wimbledon and Grouville Station went for £34 (NS22627). Coloured Allix cards are always popular with a used card No. 79 of Mont Orgeuil Castle selling for £60 (NS22664). An unused black & white Guernsey LL card No.176 of Petit Bot Bay with a buff coloured back sold for £65 (NS22674)

The full list of the prices realised for the auction can be found in the member’s section of the CISS website under Auction Archive along with the descriptions and images.

This general auction, with over 730 Lots, covered early Postal History, WW1, Occupation (Postal History, Bisects, stamps, Red Cross messages, Feldpost, Internee and POW Mail), Brechou, Jethou, Herm as well as modern Postal History and stamps and a wide range of postcards. The reserves were from £3 to £350 and attracted over 94 bidders, both postal and in the room at the regional meeting in Guernsey. It generated sales of £14,910. Many of the Lots sold below £20, however, for some Lots bidding was strong such was the rarity of some of the material on offer and over 75% of the Lots were sold.

The highlights were:

Postal History

A cover from Jersey to Scotland with a concave Jersey handstamp sold for £220 (NS21001) and a wrapper from Jersey to London with a 3 margin Penny Black cancelled with the Jersey Maltese Cross went for £260. (NS21009).

An 1856 cover from Jersey to Dublin with an undated Beaumont date stamp sold for £300. (NS210144) and an 1870 scarce Ballon Monte from Paris to Jersey sold for £300. (NS21020).

Various postal markings from both Guernsey and Jersey sold for modest prices such as a fine Guernsey “324” single obliterator with 2 bars above and below the “324” sold for £28. (NS21043).

WW1 material sold well. One of the highlights was a 1918 cover sent from Guernsey to France with the French Sea Plane Base cancel which attracted many bids and went for £220 (NS21104).

 As usual the Occupation material attracted a large number of bids with virtually all Lots being sold with many prices realised being close to the reserves. An unusual Guernsey cover dated 26^th August 1940 was addressed to the British Vice Consul in America, no doubt hoping that the Germans would allow such a cover to be delivered to a neutral country. However it was refused with ‘No service’ and a ‘Return to Sender’ cachet applied. It sold for £150 (NS212141).

A very rare German propaganda postcard published in the Channel Islands showing an “Inflight view of a German fighter aircraft flying over the cliffs of Guernsey during the Battle of Britain” sold for £140 (NS21511). Three Essays were in the sale; two ungummed Jersey 1d Arms, a pair and block of four sold for £130 and £220 respectively (NS21228 & NS21229). A half size essay of the ½d Jersey Views sold for £350 (NS21248).

In this sale we had a range of Occupation Ephemera such as ration books from Jersey and Guernsey, all selling for under £10 each. (NS21296)

Red Cross

In the Red Cross section of the auction was a range of message forms, Bradshaw cards and Red Cross envelopes which sold for modest prices such as a message form from the British Union Hotel in Jersey to a Private Leverdier in Belfast, Northern Ireland which sold for £8 (NS21276)

Fortress Period

A very rare radio message card from the Islands dated 10 DEC 1944 inscribed “Obercommando der Kanalinsen” imprint and with a machine cancel for Wilhelmshaven sold for £275 (NS21698).  A Feldpost November 1944 cover from Winterbach (Saar) addressed to the Comradeship Service West, Group PK, Broadcasting House, Berlin went for £150 (NS21699).

Post 1945 Postal History and Stamps

A Guernsey 1969 3d definitive with the rare inverted block CA watermark sold for £350 (NS21377) and a complete Guernsey 4/- booklet with a 4d pane missing the emerald stem sold for £160 (NS21384).

The sale included a wide range of Channel Aviation postal history, First Flight covers and ephemera all of which sold well, again, for modest prices, such as a supplement of the Guernsey Star newspaper on the opening of Guernsey Airport at £12 (NS21418) and four photographs from the Jersey Post of the opening of the Jersey Airport went for £28 (NS21416)

The Smaller Islands

Material from Herm, Jethou and Brechou featured. A complete sheet of the Herm 1/- Pigeon Post stamps, fine used sold for £80 (NS21437). Jethou had a range of material including full sheets such as the 1960 4d definitive which went for £50 (NS21488).

A lovely collection of Brechou stamps and covers from 1969 to 2103 sold for £320.

Postcards

Another wide range of postcards from all the Islands including LLs and Allix cards were featured. The highlight of this section was a very rare postally used photographic card of Les Marais Station in Jersey and a black and white photo of it. The station’s name was later changed to Fauvic. It attracted some very competitive bidding and sold for £220. (NS21588).

Coloured Allix cards are always popular with an unused card No. 8 of Plemont selling for £95 (NS21567) and an unused card No.162 of the Entrance to St. Owen’s Mas sold for £95 (NS21581).

A Guernsey postally used LL dark sepia card No. 38 of the ‘Arrival of the Boat from England’ sold for £34 (NS21612)

The full lists of the prices realised for the auction can be found in the member’s section of the CISS website under Auction Archive along with the descriptions and images.

This was another good auction with sales of £17,400 with 94 bidders participating.

The quality and variety of material on offer, from early postal history to modern Jersey stamps, generated much interest especially those items which are rarely available as well as material not usually found in the commercial auction houses’ sales.

An 1819 letter sent from Jersey by a private in the Grenadiers 55 Regiment Jersey had a fine Jersey Scroll on the cover. The reserve was £40; however it was sold for £375 (NS19006).

A September 1840 Mulready from Guernsey to London with a fine red Maltese Cross on the front sold for £500. (NS19011)

A Guernsey 1851 cover to Edinburgh with a 1d red imperforate cancelled by a 324 obliterator with a CATEL undated circle next to it sold for £250. (NS19017)

There were several covers sent out from the islands to various destinations. An 1872 wrapper from Jersey to Denmark attracted several bids and sold for £60. (NS19030)

There were a couple of Victorian Parcel Post labels on offer. One, a very scarce item, from Alderney with 4x 1d lilacs sold for £375. (NS19061)

One of the Postal History stars was a rare cover salvaged from the wreck of the SS Ibex. It sold for £800. (NS19062)

The early 20^th Century covers with sub post-office datestamps from Guernsey and Jersey continued to prove to be popular.

Another unusual item; a 1911 Special Coronation Aerial postcard addressed to Jersey and sent on the first Air Mail flight from London to Windsor attracted several bids and was knocked down for £110. (NS19096)

A 1935 Experimental Flight cover flown from Plymouth to Jersey and was one of twelve signed by the pilot, sold for £80. (NS19142)

There were several “Service Suspended” covers which could not be delivered to the Islands from the UK because the German Occupation had commenced. An unusual Jersey cover with a “Return to Sender” cachet was endorsed “Evacuated” sold for £55. (NS19171)

The range of Guernsey Arms and Jersey Arms and Views stamps were popular with a Guernsey 1d Arms imperforate block of 4 selling for £80. (NS19200)

Commercial usage of the stamps on cover during the Occupation, especially if they have surcharges or Instructional cachets, is always in demand. A 1941 Guernsey underpaid sealed letter with a fine “3d TO PAY / 324” handstamp fetched £80. (NS19238)

The use of sub post-office Registration Labels during the Occupation was limited so a 1944 Guernsey registered cover with a Forest datestamp and a Forest Registration Label sold for £130. (NS19255) A 1944 Jersey registered cover with a set of Views stamps cancelled with a St. Martin Jersey datestamp with the rare “D” type registration label sold for £200. (NS19311)

Red Cross material sold well as did a range of Occupation ephemera such as Ration Books which went for modest prices. A Jersey 1942/43 Textile and Footwear book sold for £10. (NS19365)

Another star of the sale was a superb collection of proposed designs and original drawings by Victor Whiteley who designed the first Jersey Independent Post Office 1969 Definitives. The 16 sheet collection sold for £800. (NS19440)

A lot of scarce material from Herm and Jethou was included in the sale. Many lots attracted high bids. A sheet of Herm 1953 ½d Coronation stamps sold for £60 as did the sheets of the 1d and 2d stamps. (NS19474)

A postcard with a Herm bisect of a triangular stamp produced some fierce bidding and it was sold for £170. (NS19484)There was a good range of proofs of the Jethou stamps, all of which were sold such as a 1961 Europa proof of the black print selling for £60. (NS19529) After a long gap between sales, this one offered a nice range of Guernsey and Jersey Revenues. A set of 1935 “Accidents, Widows, Old Age, Orphans” sold for £60. (NS19548). A Jersey 1936 Social Insurance block of 4 perforated 3d colour trial in blue sold for £44 (NS19577)

The postcard section of these sales remains very popular, especially cards of hotels, the LLs and Allix’s. A real photo card of the Terminus Hotel at St, Aubin’s sold for £32. (NS19594). A coloured Jersey Allix card No. 77 of a General View of Corbiere, even with the stamp on the front, sold for £90. (NS19606). A coloured Allix card of the Greve de Lecq caves, unused went for £80. (NS19634). A very scarce sepia LL card No. 48 with the inscription mis-spelt “Guernesey Desembarkement from Sarck” sold for £180. (NS19656)

The next general auction (Room and Postal) will be held at the Society’s meeting in Guernsey in April. A wide variety of material from all the islands will be available.

This general auction, with over 730 Lots, covered early Postal History, WW1 correspondence, Occupation (Postal History, Bisects, stamps, Red Cross messages, Feldpost, Internee and POW Mail), Alderney, Herm, Jethou and a range of Railway, Airways and Shipping material as well as modern Postal History and stamps plus a wide range of postcards. The reserves were from £1 to £600 and attracted over 100 bidders who generated sales of £15,764. The bidding for many Lots was strong such was the rarity of some of the material on offer and over 75% of the Lots were sold.

The sale was a postal and room auction with the sale being held at the member’s weekend meeting at Market Harborough.

The highlights were:

Postal History

A cover from Jersey to Gloucestershire with a four margin Penny Black cancelled with the Jersey Maltese Cross and double arc datestamp went for £350. (NS18012). An 1847 mourning cover from Guernsey to London with a handstruck ‘1’ in red plus a rare Guernsey skeleton handstamp had a reserve of £250 and was knocked down at £425.  (NS18018)

The star of the auction was an 1855 wrapper sent from Jersey to Naples with a strip of 4x QV 6d embossed stamps and a 2d star. It had Jersey and London datestamps and a red PD in an oval. This fetched £600 (NS18020).

As usual the range of Guernsey and Jersey Sub-Post office cancels sold well. A 1920 postal stationery envelope sent from Jersey to Holland with a Cheapside datestamp and a scarce first type registration label sold for £120 (NS18120). A 1942 registered cover with 11 x ½d Jersey Arms stamps which had been cancelled with the rare St. John’s Church datestamp and had a St. John’s Church registration label attracted very fierce bidding and was finally sold for £375. (NS18217). A 1944 Guernsey registered cover with the Forest datestamp and the scarce usage of the Forest registration label during the Occupation sold for £90. (NS18212)

Occupation

As usual the Occupation material attracted a large number of bids with virtually all lots being sold with prices realised close to the reserves. Several sheets of the Guernsey ½d, 1d and 2½d Arms stamps sold well with a sheet for the 4^th printing of the 2½d going for £275. (NS18192)

A commercial cover with a Guernsey machine cancel and a ‘GU’ in a triangle alongside the stamp which had a reserve of £20 sold for £100 (NS16281)

This sale had for the first time in a long time three uncirculated Jersey Occupation banknotes, a 6d, 10/- and £1 which sold for £25, £200 and £150 respectively. (NS18252, NS18253 & NS18254)

Four exhibition sheets about General Heine and the Surrender of the Channel Islands showed material from the Heine Archives and included a Red Cross message from him to his wife, sold for £350.

More of the Muller POW correspondence sold well with a card from Muller in POW Camp 801 in Guernsey going for £150 after some lively bidding. (NS18319)

Feldpost

A scarce 1944 Radio Message Card with a Wilhelmshaven date stamp and cachets sold for £210 (NS118248)

A 1943 civilian cover sent from Guernsey to Lille was returned by the German Censor, had a reserve of £150 and fetched £250 (NS18249)

Red Cross

As usual a wide variety of message forms, envelopes and Bradshaw Cards were on offer. Again some rare routings sold well. An American form to Guernsey sold for £110 (NS18272) and one from Australia to Jersey went for £125 (NS181273)

Post 1945 Postal History, Ephemera and Stamps

A wide range of Sub-Post office datestamps, instructional markings and cachets for Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey as well as Herm and Jethou all sold well for modest prices.

There is a growing interest in the airways and aircraft which carried the mails and various transport ephemera along with the tourist hotels. Virtually all lots of this type sold.

The large range of Guernsey stamps including complete Yearbooks and FDCs plus most of the Jersey stamps and Yearbooks found ready buyers.

Postcards

Another wide range of postcards, including LLs, were featured, however uptake was limited and most sold at or around their reserves.

The full lists of the prices realised for the auction can be found in the member’s section of the CISS website under Auction Archive along with the descriptions and images.

This general auction, with over 730 Lots, covered early Postal History, WW1 correspondence, Occupation (Postal History, Bisects, stamps, Red Cross messages, Feldpost, Internee and POW Mail), Jethou, Herm as well as modern Postal History and stamps and a wide range of postcards. The reserves were from £3 to £300 and attracted over 100 bidders who generated the highest level of sales to date of £19,918. The bidding for many Lots was very strong such was the rarity of some of the material on offer and over 80% of the Lots were sold.

The highlights were:

Postal History

Two Entire 1841 letters from Jersey to London and Leamington Spa each with a good QV 1d black cancelled with the Jersey Maltese Cross went for £300 and £375 respectively. (NS16011 & NS16012).

An 1857 cover from Jersey to Dublin with an undated St. Aubin’s date stamp sold for £200. (NS16024)

An 1871 scarce Ballon Monte from Paris to Jersey which had a reserve of£80 went for £220. (NS16039)

A very rare St. Andrew’s Guernsey 31mm skeleton datestamp on a 1913 postcard with Paquebot Plymouth cancel fetched £450. This is one of just three examples known. (NS16147)           see article on page 24.

Occupation

As usual the Occupation material attracted a large number of bids with virtually all Lots being sold with prices realised close to the reserves. A sheet of Guernsey ½d Olive Green Arms stamps sold for £400 and a sheet of the 1d Arms stamps on blue bank note paper sold for £350. (NS16256 & NS16260)

Instructional markings on Occupation covers are uncommon so an underpaid envelope with a 3d / 324 handstamp which had a reserve of £25 sold for £60 (NS16281)

A lovely 1943 postcard with a painted picture of a cottage and inscribed ‘Birthday Greetings’ attracted much bidding and was sold for £46 (NS16286)

A birthday card painted by the well-known Guernsey cartoonist, Bert Hill, of the old Sark Ambulance fetched £90 (NS16337)

 Another drawing this time of Room 66 of the Women’s barracks at Biberach which had a reserve of £40 went for £100. (NS16340)

Feldpost

Some unusual Feldpost covers were on offer: A coloured postcard of a Luftwaffe Flying Boat sent from Jersey to Sagau in Germany with several military cachets and a 1940 Jersey date stamp which was reserved at £80, sold for £140 (NS16342)

Red Cross

In the Red Cross section of the auction were some very rare items especially those into the Islands from unusual places. A green form from Ireland to Guernsey dated 30th April 1945 which was held in London until the Liberation in May sold for £475 (NS16378)

Another Red Cross form from Kenya to Guernsey with a rare Kenyan censor stamp went for £400 (NS16379) – see next page 36.

 The only recorded Red Cross form from Jersey to Argentina with a scarce Argentinian cachet was sent in June 1942 and the reply was dated April 1944! It sold for £180 (NS16381)

Post 1945 Postal History

Material of the 3rd Anniversary of the Liberation of the Islands sold well especially a FDC with ‘The Vale’ date stamp and Registered label. It had a reserve of £15 and sold for £44. (NS16461)

A 1951 registered postcard from Guernsey to Wiltshire with a St. Andrew’s datestamp and registration label was underpaid so a 2d to pay surcharge mark was added. It went for £55. (NS16477). A postcard with the very rare Herm double circle datestamp of September 1937 sent to Norfolk attracted some ferocious bidding and fetched £325 (NS16516).

Postcards

Another wide range of postcards including LLs and Allix cards were featured along with specific themes such as the Jersey Railway and CI Shipping. A coloured card of the Don Bridge Station sold for £85 (NS16564), a sepia card of the First Tower station with a train in the station and showing the level crossing gates sold for £130 (NS16565) and a scarce coloured Allix card No. 58 of St. Catherine’s Bay, Jersey fetched £150 (NS16579).

 Two Guernsey LL cards No. 45 both of the ship ‘Lorina’ sold for £48 (NS16597), LL card No. 197 showing a tram at St. Sampson’s Guernsey sold for £95 (NS16617).

LL cards of Sark remain popular especially those with unusual printings. Card No. 50 of La Coupee in a dark sepia print with B.B. & Co. printed on the reverse sold for £85 (NS16637).

Another card of La Coupee, also No. 50, but printed in France, in blue with a white border, for the Guernsey Press Co. Ltd. fetched £50 even with some damage to a corner. (NS16638)

The full lists of the prices realised for the auction can be found in the member’s section of the CISS website under Auction Archive along with the descriptions and images.